Moscow hosts WWII anniversary conference
An international conference to mark the upcoming anniversary of the end of World War II opened in Moscow on Tuesday, bringing together dozens of researchers from Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Asia, and Africa.
Russia is preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and hold its annual Victory Day parade in Red Square on May 9 to honor the estimated 26.6 million Soviet lives lost during the war.
The two-day academic event at the President Hotel has drawn more than 40 historians from 25 countries, including the UK, France, Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, Iran, Serbia, and Bulgaria. According to the organizers, the forum seeks to encourage joint approaches to studying WWII.
In a message sent to the participants, Sergey Naryshkin, head of the Russian Historical Society and Russia's foreign intelligence chief, underscored the importance of defending historical truth amid attempts to 'politicize and rewrite' the past.
'The great victory over Nazism was achieved through the collective heroism of the Soviet people... The defeat of the enemy was brought closer by Chinese soldiers, members of the European Resistance, and troops from the anti-Hitler coalition,' Naryshkin said, adding their memory is 'carefully preserved by millions around the world.'
Aleksandr Chubaryan, academic director of the Institute of World History at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said one of the conference's main goals is to counter historical amnesia. The gathering, he added, shows how wartime memory continues to unite international scholars.
According to MGIMO University Rector Anatoly Torkunov, the changing world order calls for a reassessment of the 'unique political experience' accumulated during WWII. 'First of all, this concerns relations with our Western partners…' he said.
More than 20 foreign leaders are expected to attend the May 9 events in Moscow, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned the leaders of the bloc's candidate countries against attending Moscow's celebrations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the comments, calling them tantamount to a revival of Nazism.
German media reported this month that Berlin advised local institutions not to invite Russian or Belarusian officials to events commemorating WWII. Moscow responded by calling the move a 'blatant insult' to the memory of the victims of the Nazis and to fallen Soviet soldiers.
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